A friend recently said this to me: “I hate being vulnerable. Especially if it opens me up to being hurt. ”
My response was this: that it is the human condition in itself to be vulnerable. We exist in a state of uncertainty, immersed and infused with it, although we try our hardest to try and mold that uncertainty to our will, in the end, it is quite impossible to do so and we reap very little but suffering in the attempt.
In modern times we have done much to decrease some uncertainty, most of the people who will read this message, and who live in first world countries, have significantly reduced uncertainties that our ancestors struggled with daily, like where the next meal comes from, and if a predator will take them out if they stray too far from the fire. On the other hand, there are uncertainties on global scales we face now that our ancestors did not have to deal with. The specific context may change, but uncertainty remains.
Nothing is stable in this world, there is nothing we can cling to for safety, no true refuge in the storm, so why not ride that storm? Why not be brave, courageous, and face that uncertainty head-on, instead of hiding or trying to control that which we cannot truly control.
In uncertainty, in chaos, there is both the potential for death and loss, sure, but that is also where the greatest treasures lay, in the lair guarded by the dragon. It is said that the thing you need most is in the place you least wish to look for it. Take the risk, for as they say ” Fortune Favors the Bold”.
